A robot, that is to say the actual actuating unit, must be fastened in a carrier device. This carrier device should be as robust as possible and have good vibration-damping properties. In addition, it is to allow as large a freedom of movement as possible for the robot.
Robots which are movable in three-dimensional space are normally arranged in steel frames, what are referred to as cells. These frames comprise top and bottom horizontal components which are connected to one another via a vertical component. These frames are certainly robust. They can also be cleaned easily, which is an essential prerequisite in particular when the robot is used in the foodstuffs industry. A disadvantage, however, is that the carrier device takes up a relatively large amount of space, so that the individual robots cannot be set up in any desired arrangement. The space requirement is increased even further by associated switch cabinets. Furthermore, these carrier devices are relatively expensive. The reasons for this are the material requirements for steel, in particular high-grade steel, and the expensive manufacture, since the individual struts and supports have to be welded and/or screwed to one another.
Furthermore, DE-A-100,64,217 discloses an actuating unit which together with its carrier device has a gallows-shaped design. The carrier device as such consists of a horizontal base and a slightly curved column-like fixed cantilever. A rotary block of the actuating unit is arranged on the top end of the fixed cantilever, a horizontal arm of the actuating unit being mounted in this rotary block. The arm in this case is pivotable about four axes.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,255 discloses a carrier device for an actuating unit which is likewise designed together with the actuating unit in a gallows shape. The carrier device itself consists of a horizontal foot and a vertical column arranged on the foot. A movable arm of the actuating unit is arranged on this column and is displaceably guided along the column. Further components of the actuating unit are arranged on the arm such as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction.